07 June 2013

French tennis phenom Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates by flashing some skin—plus chest hair and treasure trail, if that's your thing—after his "crushing victory" in the Men's Singles quarter final match against Switzerland's Roger Federer on Tuesday at the French Open in Paris. Tsonga faces Spain's David Ferrer this afternoon—live blog—in the semifinals.

26 May 2013

Janet Jackson was brilliant in white at amfAR's 20th Annual Cinema Against AIDS at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, France. Jackson co-chaired the gala on Thursday, May 23. It has become one of the "highlights" of the annual Cannes Film Festival, which concludes today.

The 20th amfAR Cannes gala helped "to raise an estimated $25 million for AIDS research," more than double last year's take of $11 million, reported the Associated Press. One more image AFTER THE JUMP ...

18 May 2013

Liberté, égalité, fraternité! French President François Hollande has fulfilled his campaign promise and signed a bill today that made France the 14th nation to legalize equal marriage, reports France 24.

Hollande acted a day after the Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the right-wing opposition, which had been the last obstacle to passing the bill into law. The legislation also legalises gay adoption. French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who steered the legislation through parliament, has said the first gay marriages could be celebrated as early as June.

The ruling comes after months of controversy and protests both for and against the bill that saw thousands taking to the streets and sporadic outbreaks of violence.

Late on Friday, between 200 and 300 protesters gathered in central Paris to denounce the ruling backing the bill and calling on Hollande to resign. One police officer was injured after a flammable liquid was thrown in his face. Earlier, a group of bare-chested men wearing white masks staged their own protest against gay marriage on one of the bridges over the Seine. They call themselves the "Hommen"—a riposte to the bare-breasted feminist protesters known as the "Femmen".

Opponents have vowed to continue their campaign and have called for a massive anti-gay demonstration in Paris on May 26. A racist poster for the demonstration has gone viral across French social media networks. The poster depicts the French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira as King Kong. Taubira is the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government. She emerged as President François Hollande’s point person on the marriage debate.

France became the 14th nation to legalize equal marriage nationwide on April 23. It
joins Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. Brazil, Mexico and the United States allow equal marriage in certain states. A legal ruling earlier this week could mandate marriage equality across Brazil.

Via the BBC, check out a fresh new map of marriage equality across the globe AFTER THE JUMP ...

07 May 2013

Keep it classy! A racist poster calling for a massive anti-gay demonstration in Paris has gone viral across French social media networks, reports Euronews. The poster depicts the French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira as King Kong.

The poster, designed by an anti-same sex marriage activist, depicts Taubira ... as a raging gorilla/King Kong, overwhelmed by a flow of demonstrators from the “Manif Pour Tous,” the main anti-same sex organization. The slogan is a play on words: “manif monstre” can mean 'giant demo.'

The picture, posted on Monday night, was retweeted and commented massively by anti-gay rights activists and by both outraged anti- and pro-same sex marriage activists. Among the reactions, one user notes "[The anti-same sex marriage crowd] go from presumed homophobes to proven racists." ... Defenders of the poster said it was supposed to be humoristic and ironic and that the monster refers to a “monument of American cinema, the devastating [King Kong]” and the "destruction" the bill will bring to the families.

The French Guiana-born Taubira has represented her homeland in the French Parliament and the European Parliament. Taubira made history in May 2012 when she was appointed Justice Minister and became the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government.

Taubira emerged as President François Hollande’s point person on the marriage debate. Liberals and socialists have heralded Taubira as a "political star" because of her eloquent defense of equal marriage. On the other side: Taubira has been the "target of a large majority of the slogans and banners from anti-same sex marriage demonstrators."

France has witnessed an increase in" violent protests, homophobic attacks, and a stream of offensive trending Twitter hashtags" ever since the marriage debate began last year.

France became the 14th nation to legalize equal marriage nationwide on April 23. It
joins Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. Brazil, Mexico and the United States allow equal marriage in certain states.

The weeks leading up to today's vote were marked by violent protests and confrontations with police. On the eve of the vote, National Assembly Pesident Claude Bartolone received a letter "filled with gunpowder" warning him to delay the vote.

The law is President François Hollande’s first major social reform. ... [The bill] will allow same-sex couples the same spousal and adoption rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The move is France’s biggest social reform since the abolition of the death penalty in 1981. Speaking after the vote, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told journalists "We've waged a great and noble battle."

The vote follows a lengthy and acrimonious parliamentary debate and more than 5,000 amendments put forward by the conservative opposition. The amendments, filed in order to delay proceedings, saw some 100 hours of parliamentary debate, often continuing into the early hours of the morning.

The issue has proved to be hugely divisive in a country steeped in conservative Catholic values, despite its global reputation as a progressive nation. While some 51% of people support same-sex marriage, less than half agree with equal rights involving children.

The Socialist-domniated Senate is scheduled to debate the bill on April 2. Approval is expected.

France would become the
12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain
and Sweden already mandate equal marriage. Mexico City and two Mexican states also mandate equal marriage. Nine U.S. states and Washington DC have legalized same-sex marriage, too. Meanwhile: The UK's House of Commons overwhelmingly voted for a marriage bill last week.

Deputies voted 249-97 in favour of article one of the draft legislation, which redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman. The article approved on Saturday was supported by deputies of the ruling Socialist Party, who enjoy an overall majority in the Assembly, other leftists and Greens as well as at least one member of the UMP, the main centre-right opposition force.

"We are happy and proud to have taken this first step," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said. "We are going to establish the freedom for everyone to choose his or her partner for a future together."

The debate began in parliament last week and will continue through a final vote scheduled for February 12. The bill is expected to pass. France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden already mandate equal marriage.

08 November 2012

On the same day that many Americans were celebrating historic election wins for LGBT equality, there was also significant progress overseas. France's new Socialist government introduced a bill to recognize marriage equality and gay adoptions on Wednesday, reports TIME and the New York Times.

President Francois Hollande and his Socialist Party have a majority in both houses of Parliament, and the bill is expected to pass sometime early next year. Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, told the conservative newspaper La Croix that "marriage for all" was a response to "a demand for equality."

The draft law redefines marriage to stipulate that it is "contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex" and the words "father" and "mother" in existing legislation are replaced by "parents." The bill would also allow married gay couples to adopt children.

But the move to legalize same-sex marriage has been controversial, and the bill was subject to delays in a country where only married couples can adopt. Opinion polls indicate that a majority of the French support gay marriage, but only half approve of allowing gays to adopt.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, voiced his opposition to the proposed legislation at a meeting of French bishops in Lourdes over the weekend. Opening up marriage to same-sex couples "would be a transformation of marriage that would affect everyone," he said. At the same time, failing to recognize gender difference within marriage and the family would be a "deceit" that would rock the foundations of society and lead to discrimination between children, he said.

Other religious groups in France, including Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, have also expressed their concern over the draft bill, and more than 100 lawmakers are against the legislation, according to CNN affiliate BFM-TV. Hundreds of mayors around the country have also voiced their opposition to the bill.

France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden currently mandate marriage equality. Mexico City also grants same-sex marriages which are recognized throught Mexico.

Nine states now allow marriage equality—Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington—as does the
District of Columbia.